WCD BoardNext

A customized membership for senior female executives striving for directorship on a for-profit corporate board or a private company board with $50 million in revenue or more.

Apply for BoardNext

About BoardNext

Your path to the boardroom

BoardNext is an initiative of the Women Corporate Directors (WCD) designed for highly qualified, board-ready women to accelerate the path to their first corporate board. This membership type provides board education, targeted skill-building, strategic networking with search firms and active board members, and peer group support.

BoardNext Membership

$650 USD first-year fee, then

$600 USD_{/ year}

Aspiring board directors gain the networks, training, and support to successfully serve on boards.

Apply for BoardNext

PARTICIPATION CRITERIA

WCD Boardnext women are:

Current or retired CEOs or C-suite executives reporting to the CEO of a public company
Current or retired C-suite executives of a significant corporate division (representing over 10% of corporate revenue) reporting to the president of the division of a public company
Current or retired partners or managing directors of one of the major accounting firms, investment banks or private equity funds
Demonstrated career achievement in noncorporate world, such as a former political officials, cabinet appointees, officers in armed forces, or CEOs of major NGOs
Board members and leadership roles of a nonprofit organization or a private company with at least $50 million in revenue
Requisite approvals and ability to serve on a public board within two years. If a current partner of an accounting firm, within two years of mandatory retirement age.

Program overview

The BoardNext Experience

In addition to a dedicated programming calendar, BoardNext members are also able to attend BoardNext LA & New York webinars, WCDirect webinars, and WCD Chapter webinars. Check-out our events portal for all available sessions. If you have a suggestion on a topic that you would like to learn more about, reach out to WCD!

A Virtual Skill-Building Curriculum

Webinars will focus on board education and targeted skill building:

Journey to a Board Seat Experienced by Newly Appointed Directors (December 10, 2024, 12-1pm ET)
Board Bio & Personal Brand Refresher (January 21, 2024, 12-1pm ET)
Understanding Corporate Governance and Fiduciary Duties (March 2025)
Navigating the Board Selection Process (May 2025)
Boardroom Onboarding (September 2025)
Looking Back and Looking Forward: Top Issues That Have Challenged Boards in 2025 (November 2025)

Local Chapter Events

Director Office Hours

Recruitment Support

Access to WCD Events

Member Participation

Board Opportunities

Access to exclusive WCD Board Opportunities (director positions on public and private company boards).
Access to professional candidate support: opportunity to work with leading-practices board development and board recruitment organization to refine their board bio, prepare for interviews and for professionals support throughout the recruitment process.
Visibility on WCD BoardNext List, provided to public and private companies seeking women directors through WCD.

Options to Join

Three Chapter Locations

WCD offers three chapter options for BoardNext candidates.

If you are local to New York or Los Angeles, we strongly encourage you to join these Chapters to maximize your network. If you are based anywhere else in the US, we offer the Virtual Chapter so members can still benefit from our programming and opportunities.

All BoardNext members are able to participate in local and virtual programming, with few exceptions to local Chapter.

BoardNext New York

BoardNext Los Angeles

BoardNext Virtual

December 6, 2024 - Virtual

BoardNext Event

BoardNext Directors Drop-In Hours

The WCD BoardNext Directors Drop-in hours series offers BoardNext members the opportunity to meet with experienced Board Directors from the WCD network to discuss matters that may be on their mind related to their board search. This session is limited to a small number of participants to ensure attendees have enough time for their unique questions. Due to the limited number of participants, we ask attendees to come prepared with questions and concerns to make the most out of this small peer-group environment.

December 10, 2024 - Virtual

BoardNext Event

New Directors Journey

Join us for an inspiring event where we will spotlight several newly appointed board members from the WCD community. Hear their personal journeys including the steps they took to land their first board seat and the valuable lessons they learned in their initial months as board members. Speakers will share insight and advice about how they activated and prepared themselves for a board search, overcame challenges they experienced along the way, and the support they received that helped them to secure a board seat. This event is a valuable opportunity for anyone navigating their own board journey to gain actionable advice and fresh perspectives.

BN Journey to a board seat-Dec 10 2024-Website card

BoardNext Steering Committee Members

Cynthia Cleveland

LA/Orange County Chapter

CPP (The Myers Briggs Company) (Priv)
Young President’s Organization (NFP)
Indiana University Board of Visitors (Advisory)
BroadLit Board of Advisors
Advisory Board
Children’s Nature Institute (NFP)
Imaginarium (Priv)
Enkeboll Designs (Priv)
Assistance League of Southern Cal. (NFP)

Teresa Jankovic

New York Chapter

BMO Funds, Inc (Pub)
Community Capital New York (NFP)
Financial Women’s Association (NFP)
The Ursuline School (NFP)

Joanne DeFinno

New York Chapter

Joanne is an audit partner at KPMG LLP. She has more than 20 years of experience providing financial statement audit and audit of internal control services to clients, mainly in the consumer goods and retail industries. Joanne serves as the partner in charge of Recruiting and Talent Acquisition for KPMG’s Northeast Commercial Business Unit as well as an ESG Technical Resource. She is also a Performance Partner for managers in the firm’s People Management Leadership program. She is a member of the BOD of the United Way of LI and the Long Island ATHENA Selection Committee

Renee LaBran

LA/Orange County Chapter

B. Riley Financial (Pub)
Iconic Sports Acquisition Corp (Pub)
Idealab (Priv)
Stravos Education (Priv)
Alliance for SoCal Innovation (NFP)
Women Founders Network (NFP)