More Than 100 Directors Become NACD Fellows at the 2015 NACD Global Board Leaders’ Summit

WASHINGTON, Oct. 26, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) today announced the names of 134 corporate directors from Comcast Corp., DuPont, Fannie Mae, Lockheed Martin Corp., Procter & Gamble Co., Red Robin Gourmet Burgers Inc., USAA, Wells Fargo & Co., and other Fortune 500, non-profit, and private-company boards who earned the NACD Fellowship credential during the 2015 NACD Global Board Leaders’ Summit (the Summit)—the largest, most comprehensive directors’ forum in the world.

NACD Fellowship, the gold standard director credential, is a comprehensive and continuous program of study developed to provide directors with perennial and emerging boardroom insights and leading practices through ongoing education. Completion of this rigorous credentialing program demonstrates the highest commitment to exemplary board leadership as stewards of their enterprises.

“The focus on directors’ credentials will only become more intense as the efforts to improve corporate governance continue,” said Jim Brady, former director of Constellation Energy Group Inc., McCormick & Co. Inc., and T. Rowe Price Group Inc. “NACD Fellow status is a differentiating factor that governance constituencies highly value.”

Anne Sheehan, director of corporate governance at CalSTRS, concurred from an investor’s standpoint: “America needs well-rounded directors who are sensitive to public-company shareowners, and who can clearly demonstrate their value on proxy disclosures. I always look forward to meeting NACD Fellows.”

"Directors who choose to enhance their skills and acumen by becoming NACD Fellows demonstrate to company management, shareholders, and their peers a desire to perform their fiduciary duties to the best of their abilities," said Ken Daly, CEO of NACD. "I am pleased to recognize these distinguished leaders, who are dedicated to upholding the highest standards of governance."

This latest cadre of NACD Fellows completed a robust foundation course that focused on topical matters and committee-specific issues, and built on that foundation—with a lens into the future of global business disruptors—at this year’s Summit in Washington, D.C.

NACD Fellows represented two-thirds of Summit attendees—1,500 world-class directors and governance thought-leaders—who convened Sept. 26–29 in an unprecedented display of dedication to raising the bar for boardroom excellence. Agenda topics that included digital currencies, the twenty-first century board, cyber liability, and translating disruption into opportunity were carefully crafted to help Fellows and attendees alike anticipate, prepare for, and respond to the global challenges impacting their role—and ultimately their companies—now and in the future.

Summit Fellows include 84 Board Leadership Fellows and 50 Governance Fellows, whose boards span a wide range of industries: agriculture, banking, computer software, energy and utilities, engineering, fast casual restaurants, financial services, healthcare, higher education, information technology, insurance, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, retail, transportation, telecommunications, and more.

Individuals Named NACD Board Leadership Fellows, 2015 NACD Summit

Individuals Named NACD Governance Fellows, 2015 NACD Summit

For more information about NACD Fellowship, visit NACDonline.org/Fellowship or contact Meghan Metzbower at Fellowship@NACDonline.org or 202-803-6764.

About NACD

The National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) is the advocate for the profession of directorship and is focused on advancing exemplary board leadership. Informed by more than 35 years of experience, NACD delivers insights and resources that more than 16,000 corporate director members rely on to make sound strategic decisions and confidently confront complex business challenges. NACD provides world-class director education programs, national peer-exchange forums, and proprietary research to promote director professionalism, ultimately enhancing the economic sustainability of the corporate enterprise and bolstering stakeholder confidence. Fostering collaboration among directors, investors, and governance stakeholders, NACD is shaping the future of board leadership. To learn more about NACD, visit NACDonline.org. To become an NACD member, contact Kelly Dodd at kkdodd@NACDonline.org or 202-380-1891, or by visiting NACDonline.org/Join.