DA/CB - The Board Mastermind

DA/CB - The Board Mastermind is designed to accelerate your board readiness, enhance your networking and equip you with what you need to launch a successful corporate board search.

In the Board Mastermind you will learn how to:

- define and communicate your board value proposition (BVP)

- deliver your board pitch to current board members and recruiters

- create a compelling board biography

- flip your resume to highlight your board-ready accomplishments

- tweak your LinkedIn® profile to align it your with board search

Key takeaways of the Mastermind include:

(1) embracing and learning to communicate a board mindset,

(2) connecting with current board members, your fellow board-candidate Mastermind members and the facilitator to create a more effective board-ready presentation and reduce stress in this significant leadership transition,

(3) identifying and honing the delivery of your unique board value proposition, and 

(4) creating and refining your "trifecta" of board-readiness materials (board bio, board resume, and board-related revisions to your LinkedIn profile).

This program is not intended to replace larger networking organizations that are geared toward certain aspects of corporate board preparation but instead help you organize and integrate the various input and interactions to create a solid, consistent and compelling board candidacy. Many of our members from our prior classes are also members of other board-readiness and corporate board organizations, including NACD and others. 

The Mastermind is offered on a selective basis and is open to up to 10 diverse attorneys (representing racial, ethnic, gender and/or LGBTQ+ diversity) who are seeking corporate board roles. It is primarily geared toward, but not limited to, companies with headquarters or significant operations in the U.S. 

Mastermind members hold the requisite experience to obtain a corporate board role (i.e., executive experience plus robust or significant board service and/or a heavily board-facing role) , are ready and available to take a corporate board role within six months and are committed to landing such a role within 18-24 months of joining the Mastermind.

Prospective members who are not already known to Segal Coaching LLC may be interviewed in advance in the interests of creating a supportive and compatible group in terms of seniority, needs, goals and interests.

For more information, please contact us at [email protected].

SPEAKERS FOR PRIOR AND ON-GOING MASTERMIND GROUPS ARE LISTED BELOW. 

What this Mastermind Offers

Why should you join?

  • You will adopt the mindset of a corporate board candidate

  • You will have the tools and space to organize and integrate input and interactions across your various board readiness activities

  • You will master what you need to know to land a corporate board role

  • You will join a small, collaborative group of colleagues who support each other on the path to the boardroom

  • You will have support and accountability from Segal Coaching LLC

  • You will learn the how to foresee and overcome the pitfalls facing executives who seek their first corporate board role

Instructor(s)

Executive Coach / Facilitator Anne Marie Segal

ANNE MARIE SEGAL, founder and principal of Segal Coaching LLC, partners with board candidates, General Counsel and other senior and rising executives to expand their impact and advance their leadership trajectories.

As an executive coach and professional writer since 2015, Anne Marie works with individual clients at key transition points in their careers and on longer-term personal branding and leadership development projects. A significant number of these clients have partnered with Anne Marie for five years or more and sought her support through multiple job changes and/or promotions, including first-time and successive C-Suite roles.

She has also launched a board candidate mastermind and several senior leadership cohorts that offer opportunities for facilitated discussions, group coaching and professional networking.

ANNE MARIE SEGAL, fundadora y directora de Segal Coaching LLC, se asocia con candidatos a la junta, asesor general y otros ejecutivos senior y en ascenso para ampliar su impacto y avanzar en sus trayectorias de liderazgo.

Como coach ejecutiva y escritora profesional desde 2015, Anne Marie trabaja con clientes individuales en puntos clave de transición en sus carreras y en proyectos de desarrollo de liderazgo y marca personal a largo plazo. Un número significativo de estos clientes se han asociado con Anne Marie durante cinco años o más y han buscado su apoyo a través de múltiples cambios de trabajo y/o promociones, incluidos puestos de C-Suite por primera vez y sucesivos.

También ha lanzado un grupo "mastermind" para candidatos a la junta directiva y varios grupos de liderazgo senior que ofrecen oportunidades para debates facilitados, entrenamiento grupal y establecimiento de contactos profesionales.

Anne Marie Segal

Executive & Leadership Coach

Segal Coaching LLC

[email protected]

Instructor(s)

Speaker Paul Gurrola

Paul Gurrola is a Director at BDO USA in Los Angeles, with 25+ years of experience in financial services. He specializes in assisting public and large private companies with audit, tax, digital transformation, predictive analytics, enterprise risk management, and cybersecurity & data privacy.

Paul is the Founder and President of Corporate Boards USA, dedicated to preparing executives as qualified board candidates. Through comprehensive self-study programs, educational curriculum, Summits, and access to governance experts, members are educated, connected, and elevated. Additionally, Paul mentors U.S. Navy SEALs transitioning to the corporate world.

He holds an MBA in Finance and a Bachelor of Science degree in business from the University of Southern California.

Presented to the Board (DA/CB) Mastermind in June 2023.

Paul's LinkedIn profile is available at linkedin.com/in/bdopgurrola.

Instructor(s)

Panelist & Advisor Rod Cotton

Rodney Cotton is a healthcare executive, health tech board member, and health equity advocate who leads with passion, courage, and integrity.

Rod is an independent director for a public company board (Castle Biosciences (Nasdaq: CSTL), a diagnostics testing company focused on skin cancer, gastrointestinal and mental health conditions) and three private company boards (Eisai Pharmaceuticals U.S., a subsidiary of the publicly traded Eisai Co., Ltd, which is a global research and development pharma company specializing in neurology and oncology medicines; Orchard Software, a private equity-backed laboratory information system (LIS) software company; and Moleculera Biosciences, a precision medicine company focused on immune-mediated neuropsychiatric disorders), among other roles.

At Roche Diagnostics, Rod served as SVP, Head of Strategy & Transformation, and Chief of Staff to the CEO. A frequent public speaker and thought leader, Rod was named one of the Most Influential Black Executives in Corporate America by Savoy magazine and one of the Top Blacks in Healthcare by BlackDoctor.org. He also received The Sagamore of the Wabash Award, one of the highest Indiana State honors, bestowed by Indiana Governor Eric J. Holcomb.

Rod was a panelist in April 2023 on the topic of "Landing a Corporate Board Role: Insights from Board Members" for the DA/CB Board Mastermind and continues to serve as an informal Mastermind Advisor. He will also be a speaker in the 2024 Corporate Board Speaker Series.

His LinkedIn profile is available at: linkedin.com/in/rodney-cotton.

Instructor(s)

Moderator Mario Springer

Mario Springer is SVP & General Counsel at Justworks, a late-stage SaaS company that helps entrepreneurs and businesses grow with confidence by giving them access to big-company benefits, automated payroll, HR tools, and compliance support — all in one place. He has been with Justworks for over 6 years, and has responsibility for legal, licensing, government affairs, and oversight of cybersecurity.

Before joining Justworks, Mario spent over 10 years at a multi-national, human capital management company, where he co-developed their global compliance program. He also spent 9 years as a corporate law firm associate in NYC handling corporate and commercial real estate matters.

Mario earned his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law and a B.A. in Public Policy from the University of Chicago, where he was an Academic All-American and 2X Div. III All-American wrestler.

Mario was a moderator in April 2023 on the topic of "Landing a Corporate Board Role: Insights from Board Members."

His LinkedIn profile is available at: linkedin.com/in/mario-springer.

Instructor(s)

Panelist Karen Magee

Karen Magee currently serves as Justworks Inc.’s lead independent director, chairs its Compensation and Leadership Development committee, and is a member of the Nominating and Governance committee. She is the former Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer of Time Warner, responsible for corporate human resources, global compensation and benefits, global organization and leadership development, worldwide recruitment and executive search, and diversity.

Prior to re-joining Time Warner, Karen was the Chief Executive Officer of PlanetOut Inc., the first and only publicly traded media and entertainment company focused on the LGBT community. Before joining PlanetOut, Karen served as the Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning for Time Warner. She joined Time Warner from Time Inc. where she held a wide variety of positions, including Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning, Vice President of Consumer Marketing for Time magazine, and General Manager of Time.

A graduate of the School of Engineering and Applied Science at Princeton, Karen served on the University’s Board of Trustees for fourteen years. She attended the Radcliffe Publishing Course before beginning her career in publishing and holds an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Karen was a member of the Board of Directors of PlanetOut Inc. (NASDAQ: LGBT) from 2003 to 2009. In addition to her non-profit work with Princeton, she served on the GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) Board of Directors for six years and chaired the board for four.

Karen was a panelist in March 2023 on the topic of "Landing a Corporate Board Role: Insights from Current Board Members."

Her LinkedIn profile is available at: linkedin.com/in/karen-magee-4771679.

Instructor(s)

Panelist Craig MacKay

Craig MacKay is a fiduciary with operating leadership experience, and an extensive finance and corporate governance background. He is currently an independent director of three public companies: Equitable Holdings (NYSE:EQH), Pioneer Funds (NASDAQ:PIODX) and Carver Federal Savings Bank (NASDAQ:CARV).

He also has diverse senior management experience in banking, logistics and outsourcing, and has completed over $12 billion of private capital, M&A and advisory transactions in business services, consumer products and healthcare.

Craig is a Senior Advisor and former Partner at England & Company, a middle-market merchant bank. He previously headed Leveraged Finance Distribution at CIBC World Markets (now Oppenheimer & Co.), and Private Finance and High Yield Capital Markets Origination at SunTrust Bank (now Truist Bank). Prior to SunTrust, he was CEO of HNY Associates, a merchant banking firm with holdings in logistics and commercial transportation. Craig began his career in the controllership function of General Foods Corp. (now Kraft).

Craig was a panelist in March 2023 on the topic of "Landing a Corporate Board Role: Insights from Board Members."

You can find Craig's LinkedIn profile at: linkedin.com/in/craig-c-mackay-6b93021a.

Instructor(s)

Speaker Debbie Tang

Debbie Tang is a Partner at Bridge Partners, a minority-owned retained executive search firm focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Debbie leads global executive searches in both the private and public sector, from Fortune 100 companies to universities and government agencies. She recruits diverse senior executives across all functions, including CEO, CFO, CHRO, General Counsel, Chief Legal Officer and Board Directors, in a wide variety of industries.

Before joining Bridge Partners, Debbie spent over six years as a Managing Director in Major, Lindsey & Africa's in-house practice group. Prior to her career in executive search, she gained corporate experience as in-house counsel for Marriott International and also served as General Counsel of an international restaurant chain. She began her career as an Associate at Troutman Sanders and Reed Smith.

Debbie is actively involved in the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association and the Women’s Bar Association of the District of Columbia. She received a BA degree from McGill University and a JD from Washington & Lee School of Law, where she was on the Editorial Board of The Journal of Civil Rights and Social Justice. She serves on the Boards of the Washington Project for the Arts (Co-chair of Governance Committee) and Norwood School (Co-chair of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee).

Debbie presented to the Corporate Board Mastermind in April 2024 and January 2023. Her LinkedIn profile is available at: linkedin.com/in/debbietang1.

Instructor(s)

Speaker Suzanne Burns

Suzanne M. Burns is a trusted advisor to numerous public and private company CEOs and Board Nominating & Governance, and Compensation Committees, where she shares her knowledge of board best practices, CEO succession planning, insights on deliberate organizational and cultural alignment, and perspective on how to successfully attract and develop diverse talent to drive shareholder value.

As a Partner at Spencer Stuart, Ms. Burns is a member of the firm’s Board of Directors, CEO, Industrial, Digital Transformation, and Private Equity practices. She devotes her time to advising global clients on Board and C-suite talent selection, cultural transformation, and board effectiveness to increase diversity and competitiveness. Prior to Spencer Stuart, she served in a various of C-suite and President roles with Eaton, IDEX and W. W. Grainger. Ms. Burns currently serves on the Board of Directors of Benco Dental, The Chicago Botanic Garden, and the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital Foundation.

Ms. Burns presented to the Diverse Attorneys: Corporate Board Mastermind in November 2022.

You can find Ms. Burns' LinkedIn profile at: linkedin.com/in/suzannemburns.

Instructor(s)

Moderator Sheea Sybblis

Sheea (pronounced “Shay”) Sybblis, is Associate General Counsel & Practice Group Leader leading a team of attorneys dedicated to the Customer and Patient-Facing teams at Genentech, a Member of the Roche Group, a pharmaceuticals business who focus access, strategy, operations, and execution for over the 25+billion dollar business. Sheea is a people-oriented leader, who has led legal support for Commercial, Medical, R&D, and Promotional Regulatory as Division/General Counsel of business units and segments, comprising over $400MM+ to $3B in annual revenue. Prior to going in-house, Sheea was at a large national law firms and completed a federal clerkship in the district of New Jersey.

Sheea serves as a Board Member of the Visiting Homemakers Service of Hudson County, Inc.; Executive Board Member and Co-Chair of Diversity of New Jersey Women Lawyers Association; and Corporate Advisory Board Member of The State of New Jersey Boys and Girls Club. She is also the Former President and a former Board Member of The Association of Black Women Attorneys New York.

Sheea taught as a visiting lecturer and adjunct professor of business and law. She has also held various leadership positions in multiple professional organizations and nonprofit boards. Additionally, Sheea was recognized by the Minority Corporate Counsel Association as a 2019 Rising Star, in 2021 as a Trailblazer by the Fordham Law Black Law Student Association, and in 2023 for the National Association of Women Lawyers Association (NAWL) as Rising List of leaders.

Sheea served as a Moderator for Debbie Tang's presentation on recruiters and corporate board roles in January 2023.

Her LinkedIn profile is available at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheea-sybblis.