Private Company Director has highlighted top private company boards and directors since our first issue 12 years ago. This year we feature 29 significant and diverse directors who 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 Private Company Director’s efforts to drive best practices on private boards across corporate North America and surrounding regions.
Laura Juarez
Top Notch Distributors Inc., Excab Inc.
Laura Juarez is a privately held business executive and governance advisor with CEO, chief operating officer and chief human resources officer experience, as well as deep expertise in multigenerational family and employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) enterprises. She serves on two private company boards, Top Notch Distributors and ExCab. She is human capital committee chair of both boards. Juarez previously served as director and chair of the L.E. Smith Company and as director, chair and compensation committee chair of Bostwick-Braun. She has chaired two ad hoc CEO succession committees. Her governance work spans ESOP oversight, strategy resets, digital strategy, cultural reinvention, acquisitions and family business continuity. read more >
Maria Azua Himmel
Pan-American Life Insurance Group
Dr. Maria Azua Himmel serves on the board of Pan-American Life Insurance Group, a life and health insurer in the Americas, where she is on the finance and audit committees. She is an advisor to Capri Venture Capital and previously served on Red Hat’s technology advisory board prior to its acquisition by IBM. Her executive career spans senior roles at Bank of America, Barclays and IBM, where she held chief information officer and chief technology officer positions. A Women in Technology Hall of Fame inductee, she holds more than 50 patents and a doctorate in computer science. read more >
Ladi Adefala
Delta Dental Missouri
Ladi Adefala serves as chair and director of Delta Dental Missouri. He served as board vice chair from 2023 to 2026. Previously, he served as chair of the governance and nominating committee and member of the finance, audit, compensation and executive committees.
He is the founder and CEO of Omega316, a values-driven consulting firm that specializes in technology/cyber strategy and leadership advisory. Adefala’s operating experience spans a variety of global leadership and transformative roles at Fortinet, World Wide Technology, AT&T and Accenture. read more >
Edna Conway
Long Ridge Equity Partners, Active Cypher, Praetorian Security, Ripjar
Edna Conway, an innovative director and global C-suite leader, drives strategies for resilient and secure operating models in the digital economy. With more than 40 years of leadership experience, including chief security and risk officer roles at $245 billion technology companies, such as Microsoft and Cisco, she developed award-winning security architectures, protected billions in revenue and enhanced compliance.
Conway led due diligence for more than 60 M&A and divestiture deals upwards of $7 billion. She has chaired or served on more than 12 boards across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, achieving successful exits and, where needed, restructuring. read more >
Juhi Saha
Hudson Valley Credit Union
Harriet Harty
M3 Placement and Partnership
Harriet Harty is a successful Fortune 500 executive and CPA with strong financial acumen and experience. She served as a director of a subsidiary of Sompo International and currently serves as an advisory board member of M3 Placement and Partnership.
Harty is a trusted partner of C-suite, board and management teams who brings expertise in finance and human resources at major property casualty insurance companies through C-suite roles. She also has significant experience in mergers and acquisitions as well as CEO succession planning. read more >
Teri Quimby
Marketocracy Masters
Teri Quimby is an independent director and CEO who transforms governance, compliance and risk oversight into strategic advantage. She serves as director and CEO of the Michigan Chemistry Council, partnering with highly regulated public and private companies to advance the chemistry industry. She is also an independent director of Marketocracy Masters Inc., a private company and an SEC-registered investment advisor. Previously, as a governor-appointed commissioner and acting chair of a statewide regulatory commission, she led award-winning licensing and process reforms that reduced business burdens while protecting the public. Named one of Crain’s Detroit Business’s “Most Notable Women Lawyers in Michigan,” Quimby is a seasoned speaker and frequently published contributor on leveraging compliance as a catalyst for innovation and growth. read more >
Bob Murphy
Systal Technology Solutions, Resilinc
Bob Murphy is an internationally recognized transformation and supply chain executive with more than four decades of leadership at IBM and across global industries. As IBM’s former chief procurement officer, he led multibillion-dollar spend, managed thousands of suppliers and oversaw a global team of more than 4,000 employees, driving operational excellence, automation at scale and enterprise-wide transformation.
His experience spans procurement, supply chain, logistics, manufacturing, mergers and acquisitions, risk management and technology-enabled innovation. Murphy has also served as an independent director and advisory board member for multiple private and public companies, including Systal Technology Solutions, SAP, Procurement Leaders and Resilinc. He brings deep expertise in strategy, governance and AI-driven operations. read more >
Robin Blackstone
Robin Blackstone, MD, FACS, is a governance leader and systems architect whose career has focused on strengthening institutional integrity in complex, high-risk environments. She has served on hospital, national medical, private company, public-benefit and nonprofit boards, contributing to oversight of quality, accreditation, financial stewardship, strategic transformation and technology integration. The founder of Blackstone Health, the H4 Alliance and the H4 Sovereign Health Trust designs AI-enabled, culturally aligned and ethically governed operating frameworks both in the United States and abroad. Blackstone created the Health 4.0 architecture, uniting data integrity, autonomy and trust to improve resilience and strategic clarity. A graduate of The Financial Times Non-Executive Director Diploma (Level 7), she brings disciplined judgment, anticipatory insight and boardroom fluency. read more >
Christine Gallagher
Astrocyte Pharmaceuticals, John G. Ullman & Associates Inc.
An experienced board director and senior capital markets professional, Christine Gallagher leverages expertise from over 300 M&A and capital markets transactions to guide companies in the health care and innovation sectors through strategic inflection points, valuation events and complex governance decisions.
She is the sole independent director of Astrocyte Pharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage life sciences company, where she helps frame strategic choices to keep development priorities on track and aligned with long-term value creation. Gallagher is a director at John G. Ullman & Associates Inc., a private wealth management firm, contributing to strategy, long-term planning and oversight of investment risk. read more >
Jeanette Gorgas
Unison Energy, Aspiriant, Granite Comfort LP
Jeanette Gorgas is an accomplished board director and C-suite executive recognized for advancing transformative growth through strategic execution and emerging technology, in the United States and abroad. She was previously chief strategy officer at Grant Thornton and held other C-suite roles overseeing strategy, operations, risk management, mergers and acquisitions, and human capital, including serving as senior associate dean for the flagship MBA program at Yale University. Gorgas serves on a diverse portfolio of boards, including Unison Energy, Aspiriant, Prosperity Partners and Granite Comfort. Prior board roles include public companies Delivery Hero and Sunlight Financial. Gorgas offers board leadership expertise, with experience chairing compensation and strategy committees and serving on audit and nom/gov committees. read more >
Dietz Kellmann
TriSummit Utilities, GRT, Doyon Utilities
Dietz Kellmann is an experienced independent director and the principal of DCLK Corporate Consulting. His background in board governance was developed working as the chief operating officer and chief development officer at the Corix Group of Companies, where he spearheaded strategic growth and served on subsidiary boards. This experience has proven invaluable in his roles as an independent director and as a member or chair of committees, including human resources, audit, and health, safety and environment. Kellmann serves on the boards of three private companies, TriSummit Utilities, a rapidly growing Canadian-based utility; Doyon Utilities, a U.S. LLC supporting Alaska military installation utilities; and GRT, an innovative company advancing the circular economy through soil remediation and reuse. read more >
Kathy Leake
Everyrealm Inc.
Kathy Leake is a four-time AI founder who has scaled companies from ideation to $100 million in revenue and delivered eight-times returns to shareholders. Over the past 18 years, Leake has served on the boards of private equity-backed, venture capital-funded and pre-IPO companies. As a director, Leake focuses on accelerating value creation through targeted scaling, strategic mergers and acquisitions, and AI transformation that drives competitive advantage and positions companies for successful exits.
Throughout her career, Leake has driven high-impact AI and digital transformation initiatives that deliver measurable results for stakeholders and accelerate organizational change. read more >
Jamie Fowler
Alliant Global
Jamie Fowler serves as vice chair of intelligent automation and AI on the strategic advisory board of Alliant Global. She is secretary of the Manhattan Theatre Club Board, serving on its executive, finance, audit, artistic and education committees. Previously, Fowler was chief transformation officer (CTO) at Grant Thornton, leading award-winning teams and digital solutions. Prior to her role as CTO, Fowler served as U.S. partner in charge of tax. Fowler was the 2021 American Business Association’s “Stevie” award winner for Maverick of the Year and Woman of the Year and is recognized for expertise in large P&L management, transformation strategy, cloud migration and building global shared services. Fowler has been a widely sought-out speaker on topics ranging from motivational leadership to transformation and innovation. read more >
Jaime Lee
James Campbell Company LLC
Jaime Lee is a dynamic and seasoned fiduciary board member, having served on more than 30 corporate, civic and nonprofit boards, with particular expertise in governance transformation, strategic pivots, CEO search and crisis management. She is an independent director and nom/gov chair of James Campbell Company, a $5 billion private real estate company. She also serves as a trustee of the University of Southern California, a board member for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games and a commissioner on the California Film Commission. She previously served the City of Los Angeles as president of the board of Harbor Commissioners and president of the Los Angeles City Employees’ Retirement System board. Lee is also CEO of The Jamison Group. read more >
Kerry Chandler
Lyra Health
Kerry Chandler is an independent director recognized for her strategic leadership in human resources, organizational transformation and governance. She serves on the board of Lyra Health, contributing to the compensation and talent committee. Chandler recently served on Redfin’s board, helping to guide the company through its strategic sale to Rocket Companies.
A former global chief human resources officer, Chandler has shaped people and culture strategies at major organizations including Bombas, Endeavor, Under Armour, Christie’s International, The National Basketball Association and Disney (including the most senior human resources roles at Hong Kong Disneyland and ESPN). Her career began with roles at McDonnell Douglas (Boeing), Exxon, Motorola and IBM. read more >
Jennifer McFarlane
Cascade Energy, Emrgy Inc.
Jennifer McFarlane is a seasoned director, having served on several for-profit boards, both private and public, and nonprofit boards. She currently serves as a director and member of the compensation and nomination committee of Cascade Energy, an ESOP company providing energy efficiency services, and a director of Emrgy Inc. Her prior board roles include chair of the audit committee of TruTag and chair of the compensation committee of BioGill.
On her boards, McFarlane actively shapes discussions on strategy, innovation, financing, mergers and acquisitions, and governance. Her strong finance acumen stems from her career as a CFO of emerging high growth companies, including NEXtracker and LanzaTech, as well as an investment banker at Salomon Brothers. read more >
Carol Meyers
Dscout, SearchStax, Rewind
Carol Meyers is an independent director with deep experience guiding high-growth, founder-led and private equity- and venture-capital-backed technology companies through scale, governance maturity and strategic shifts. She serves on the boards of Rewind and SearchStax, where she is on the compensation committees, and Dscout. Meyers’ prior board service includes Markforged, where she served on the compensation committee; Crunchr, where she was board chair and member of the compensation committee; Zipwhip, where she was a member of the audit committee; and Hear.com, where she was a member of the audit committee. She also served on the boards of MineralTree and Emarsys. read more >
Jane P. Newton
Jane P. Newton, CFP, MBA, is an experienced corporate board director with expertise in governance, succession planning, M&A strategy and compensation. As a director and compensation committee member at RegentAtlantic Capital (now Corient Private Wealth), she oversaw CEO succession and leadership transitions, including hiring the firm’s first outside CEO, and guided the 2021 merger with Corient, ensuring client continuity, fiduciary integrity and expanded opportunities for employees. A former partner and wealth advisor with prior investment banking experience at J.P. Morgan, Newton brings capital allocation acumen, talent-aligned compensation policies and strategic M&A experience to board deliberations. She is recognized for delivering strategic clarity, sound fiduciary judgment and a collaborative, forward-looking governance approach that strengthens organizational resilience and long-term value. read more >
Christina Lucas
SERVPRO
Christina Lucas is the global director for insurance at Google Cloud. She serves as an independent director of SERVPRO (a Blackstone portfolio company) and the America for Bulgaria Foundation, one of Europe’s largest nongovernmental organizations. Her governance leadership experience includes the compensation and completed CEO search committees of SERVPRO and the active CEO search, audit and investment committees of ABF. Formerly president of Envista Forensics and a global executive at AIG, Lucas combines P&L discipline with global talent management strategies, earning “Best Place to Work” designations twice, across two different companies and continents. She pairs this executive leadership with deep technical expertise, advising boards on cyber oversight, AI strategy, data sovereignty and digital resilience within highly regulated markets. She holds the Harvard Business School Certificate in Corporate Governance. read more >
Nazia Raoof
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
Nazia Raoof is a 2025 CIO 100 Award–winning technology executive and director focused on innovation and AI. She writes on AI governance for boards, speaks at peer CIO forums and is author of a book on AI ethics for the next generation. She serves on the boards of Lurie Children’s Hospital and Kohl Children’s Museum, and advisory boards of Loyola University Chicago and MoneyLIVE North America. Drawing on executive roles at Relativity, Wintrust Financial, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Northern Trust, West Monroe, Neuberger Berman and Lehman Brothers, she brings her boards practical insight into AI strategy, road maps and partnerships that scale automation and analytics responsibly. Trained in improv at The Second City, she translates complex technology and risk into plain-English discussions that help boards balance innovation, oversight and resilience. read more >
Andrew Shapiro
Lawndale Capital Advisors
Andrew Shapiro is CEO of Lawndale Capital Advisors, where he advises boards and investors on governance, shareholder engagement, capital allocation and special situations. Drawing on decades of experience as a longtime activist fund manager, he brings an investor mindset to boardroom strategy. He has served on boards of public and private companies across diverse industries and company stages and chaired governance, finance and official bankruptcy committees. Shapiro is an NACD Directorship 100 honoree and board leadership fellow, and a Private Directors Association-certified director. He has taught at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business and at UCLA Anderson’s corporate governance program, and is a former member of the Council of Institutional Investors’ Corporate Governance Advisory Council. He is also a qualified audit committee financial expert. read more >
Sandra D. Stratford
Aifred Health
Dr. Sandra D. Stratford, a leader in occupational health and employee well-being, held roles at Exxon and IBM, and was chief medical officer of Raytheon. She brings to her board work a focus on risk mitigation and implementation of services and technology that support all workforce demographics.
Stratford is a board director at Aifred Health, a firm that developed an AI-based clinical decision platform for mental health treatment selection. As trustee of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, roles include executive committee member, former co-chair of the community programs committee and member of the medical staff appointment committee. She is an advisor for the health equity council of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and a member of the advisory board for Blue Clay Health, and recently was appointed to the board of Beyond BookSmart.. read more >
Richard Winston
BJC Healthcare, Saint Luke’s Health System
Richard Winston is a seasoned board advisor and corporate governance leader with extensive experience overseeing multibillion-dollar enterprises, managing risk, and shaping strategic business and legal outcomes. As audit committee chair for a $12.6 billion health care company, he brings deep expertise in financial oversight, enterprise risk, cybersecurity, data privacy and AI-enabled transformation. He also serves as chief legal officer and corporate secretary of a global, multigenerational manufacturing company, partnering with the board on governance, compliance and long-term strategy.
With 25 years of boardroom experience, Winston has led governance modernization initiatives and advised directors and CEOs on strategic growth. His background includes 35 years as chief legal officer or general counsel at public and private multinational companies, including General Electric and Koch Industries. read more >
Reta Jo Lewis
Rare Earth Americas
Reta Jo Lewis is a global business advisor, corporate director and lawyer whose career spans three decades in international trade, export finance, government affairs, and state and local relations. Lewis serves as a nonexecutive director of Rare Earths Americas, where she chairs the nominating and corporate governance committee. She most recently served as the 27th chairman, president and CEO of the Export-Import Bank of the United States, overseeing $135 billion in financing authority and advancing U.S. competitiveness in critical minerals, clean energy and key technologies. A former partner at an international law firm, she has served in three Presidential administrations and is co-chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Advanced Manufacturing and Value Chains. read more >
Freda Lam Zietlow
Bank of the Orient
Freda Lam Zietlow is an accomplished director with more than 25 years of global financial services experience. She brings governance depth in audit, risk management, and digital transformation to regulated and growing enterprises. Zietlow is audit committee chair at Bank of the Orient. She has also served on its strategy, technology, and asset and liability committees. She is vice chair of the board of Myriad USA and advises Daylight Advisors. Zietlow’s executive career includes leadership roles at Fiduciary Trust International, JPMorgan and Fremont Group.
Zietlow is an NACD certified director and was recently named The Financial Times’ Agenda Future 50 Director. She is a member of the Private Directors Association, Extraordinary Women on Boards and Ascend Pinnacle. read more >
Sheryl Genco
CO-LABS Inc., National Spectrum Consortium
Dr. Sheryl Genco is a board leader with more than a decade of governance experience across federal, nonprofit and research organizations. She served for over four years as senior commercialization advisor to Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, supporting the transition of high-risk innovations in AI, quantum computing and semiconductors into commercial markets, and as a board strategist to the defense innovation board. She holds executive board roles with the National Spectrum Consortium, CO-LABS and the Marconi Society’s Advanced Wireless Institute. Genco also brings more than three years of board leadership with Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Military Communications, approximately three years as executive board chair of a federal interagency network and two years as executive board chair experience with an award-winning STEM academy. read more >
Bob Burke
Ecofish, Uncle Matt’s Organic, King Arthur Baking Company
Bob Burke specializes in bringing natural, organic and specialty products to market. Along the way, he was the coauthor of Natural Products Field Manual, and produced and led sales and financing seminars for brands in the natural and specialty channels. Burke was with Stonyfield Farm for 11 years as VP, sales and corporate development.
He was an outside director for Saffron Road for 15 years, serving on the compensation committee. His current board service includes Uncle Matt’s Organic, where he has served for five years as chair of the compensation committee; Walden Mutual Bank, where he serves as chair of the impact committee and member of the executive committee; and King Arthur Baking Company, where he has served for 12 years, including five years as chair of the benefit and governance committee and six years as board chair. read more >
Melody Feinberg
Axiom Bank NA, Security Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York
Melody Feinberg is a Qualified Financial Expert (QFE), certified public accountant, and former chief risk officer and chief compliance officer of a $180 billion wholesale bank. Over her three-decade career in global banking and finance, including leadership roles at JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs, she navigated complex and highly regulated environments and was integral to enterprise-wide technology transformations. Feinberg also teaches in the Columbia University ERM masters of science program.
Feinberg serves on two private company boards. At Axiom Bank, she chairs the audit committee and serves on the credit and finance committees, and at Security Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York, Feinberg serves on the audit and risk, finance, and technology and cybersecurity committees. read more >