Top Three Reasons to Care about Women on Boards of Directors
by Sara Meyer-Davis, ION Secretary
In corporate America, the glass ceiling is most evident for Boards of Directors than any other role. It is the one function where the most complex skills and billion dollar responsibilities are less relevant than the single specification of “being a CEO”. When a C-suite role is open, a very detailed job description is developed, list of possible candidates compiled, and a very formal interview and evaluation protocol is followed. Candidates for board of directors’ positions are sourced mainly through networking… Strategic Diversity Advisors, Jan. 31, 2012

Campaign to Increase Women in Top Executive Posts Celebrates Success
Supporters of the Kansas City area’s Win|Win campaign to get more women in CEO and corporate board chairs celebrated its first-year momentum in a gathering Thursday evening. In an event at the law offices of Husch Blackwell, Win|Win steering committee chairwoman Denise Kruse, CEO of AdamsGabbert, said 2011 saw increased female representation in some business hierarchies. The Win|Win campaign is sponsored by the Central Exchange and other civic organizations, with the goal of having 20 percent of the area’s board and executive positions held by women by 2015. The Kansas City Star, Jan. 12, 2012

Where are the Women Executives in Silicon Valley?
Though it won’t be news to anyone who has worked in Silicon Valley, a new study confirms that tech companies are woefully behind in including women among their board members and highest-paid executives — not to mention the engineering ranks. Of California’s 400 biggest public companies, technology companies have some of the lowest percentages of women directors and executives, according to the annual Study of California Women Business Leaders by the University of California, Davis, and ION Member Organization Watermark, a Bay Area organization that tries to increase the number of women business leaders. The New York Times (Bits blog), Dec. 9, 2011

Facebook Board: Where are the Female Faces?
Since the company is not publicly traded, it doesn’t have to disclose its board nominations policies with the SEC. But with over 800 million active users and more than 3,000 employees, you’d think they’d be hip to issues of equal opportunity. A spokesperson for Facebook declined to comment for this article, although CEO Mark Zuckerberg did offer comment to the New Yorker after Netflix’s (NFLX) Reed Hastings joined the club, saying “I’m going to find people who are helpful, and I don’t particularly care what gender they are.” Since then, Erskine Bowles joined, still leaving the board with no female voice. CNNMoney, Nov. 15, 2011

Women Make Headway on Georgia Boards
Former Secretary of State Madeline Albright famously said, “There’s a special place in hell for women who do not help other women,” in which case she would have enjoyed the Annual Study and Awards Dinner hosted by ION Member Board of Directors Network (BDN). The women honored that night, and many others in the room, all have made promoting women part of their personal mission. And this year, there was plenty to cheer about. For the first time, a majority of Georgia’s 136 public companies has a woman seated on the board. Equally exciting was the news that all Fortune 500 companies in Georgia also have at least one woman on their board. Womenetics, Nov. 15, 2011

A Seat at the Table
One of the five focal points at the 2011 National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) Board Leadership Conference was board recruitment. And while the good news reported out at one session was that recruitment has moved “beyond the golf club,” and enhancing board diversity was discussed at many sessions, the fact remains that board composition still has to suit a company’s business. Yet, boards that are “in the know” realize that “skills get old and skills get stale.” Analyzing board composition based on future goals and strategic needs of a company is essential. Womenetics, November 1, 2011

Women at the Top Improve the Bottom Line
The best-known diversity initiative is the Federal Glass Ceiling Commission established by the Civil Rights Act of 1991. When reviewed today, the document is thorough, relevant, and current. Its recommendations became the core of diversity best practices for the next two decades. Unfortunately, it failed in its mission. The progress of women has been minimal. Women, and minorities, rarely reach the senior levels of corporate ranks. Womenetics, August 30, 2011

Are There Really Boards with No Women?
Three college degrees for every two earned by a man. 85% of purchasing decisions. Nearly 50% of the workforce. And yet, the tiniest of chips in the glass ceilings of  boardrooms across corporate America with women holding just 18% of corporate board posts at S&P 100 companies. What’s wrong with this math? A peek behind the oak-paneled doors of just a few of those boardrooms reveals a stunning lack of diversity in those rarified cocoons where for the “pale, male and stale” board member it is business as usual. Forbes, August 2, 2011

The Terrible Truth About Women on Boards
It’s no secret that the number of women on corporate boards in the U.S. has not increased greatly over the last decade—especially in large organizations. In the Fortune 500, women hold only 15.7% of board seats. It’s no secret that in the U.S., more women than men now graduate from college. It’s no secret that women constitute the largest consumer base in many organizations. Forbes, June 7, 2011