Branding Yourself for a Corporate Board Seat | Women in the Boardroom

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Branding Yourself for a Corporate Board Seat

Watch recording on demand.

Join us for “Branding Yourself for a Corporate Board Seat” where we’ll cover:

Speaker Insights on Personal Branding:

  • Strategies for developing and refining your personal brand
  • Emphasizing authenticity and understanding your unique value proposition, skills, and impact

Recruiter Perspectives:

  • Speakers share their experiences as recruiters
  • Highlighting successful branding strategies and common pitfalls to avoid

Interactive Q&A:

  • Addressing questions submitted via email ahead of time and during the session



 

Speakers

Howard Brod Brownstein, Sheila Ronning, Alisa C. Norris

Date & Time

May 21, 2024
2:00 PM ET

Individual & Corporate Members, please use your promo code to register complimentary. Cost for non-members to register is $50. To become a member, click here. Registrants will receive sign-on information one day prior to the webinar via email. The recorded version of the webinar is automatically sent to all registrants afterward whether you attend the live version or not.

About the Speakers

Howard Brod Brownstein

President of Brownstein Corporation, Certified Turnaround Professional, NACD Directorship Certified Board Director, Board Leadership Fellow

Howard Brownstein is a nationally-known turnaround and crisis management professional, and is the President of The Brownstein Corporation, which provides turnaround management and advisory services to companies and their stakeholders, as well as invest- ment banking services, fiduciary services, and litigation consulting, investigations and valuation services. Previously he held partner- ship or senior executive roles in turnaround management firms, where, in addition to leading turnaround assignments for clients, advising senior management and fulfilling a senior management role, he had overall responsibility for transactional activities and the marketing of the firm’s services, and gained extensive experience in valuing businesses, obtaining financing, and selling businesses.

Howard Brownstein has served as Financial Advisor to Debtors and to lenders and Creditor Committees in bankruptcy proceedings, and as a litigation expert in several cases, including the landmark Merry-Go-Round bankruptcy. Mr. Brownstein served as Chief Re- structuring Officer in U.S. Mortgage which involved a $138 million mortgage fraud, and as Plan Administrator in Montgomery Ward LLC, the largest retail liquidation in history.

Mr. Brownstein regularly serves as an independent corporate board member for publicly-held and privately-owned companies, as well as large nonprofits. He has been named “Directorship Certified” and a “Board Leadership Fellow” by the National Association of Cor- porate Directors (NACD), and served as Board Chair and President of its Philadelphia Chapter. He also served as Vice Chair of the ABA Corporate Governance Committee and co-chaired its programming, and has been named a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, which includes only one percent of lawyers admitted to practice in any state. He has been a board chair, and also chaired board Audit, Risk, Nominating and Strategic Planning/Risk Assessment committees, and is a Qualified Financial Expert (QFE) for Sarbanes-Oxley purposes.

Howard Brownstein served for over 13 years until its sale in late 2023 on the Board of P&F Industries (NasdaqGM: PFIN), a publicly- held manufacturer/importer of air-powered tools, and chaired its Nom/Gov and Strategic Planning Risk Assessment Committees, He serves on the Board of Merakey, a large nonprofit provider of education and human services with more than 10,000 employees in several states. He serves as the sole board member of Community Council Health Systems, a nonprofit provider of behavior health and other services. He served as the Board Chair/CEO of Universal Services Associates, a designer and manufacturer of museum exhibits. He also served on the Board of Renew Financial, a leading provider of innovative PACE financing for home improvement projects, where he chaired its Risk and Operating Committees, as well as the Board of A.M. Castle & Co. (OTCQB: CASL), a multinational metals distribution and supply chain solutions company. He also served on the Board and chaired the Audit Committee of PICO Hold- ings (Nasdaq: PICO), a publicly-held diversified holding company with investments in water resources and storage operations, and real estate operations, and chaired the Audit Committee of LMG2, successor to Chicago Loop Parking, a $600Mil parking infrastructure entity in downtown Chicago, in which a lender group led by Société Générale succeeded to ownership following a restructuring. He also served as sole Board member of Betsey Johnson LLC, a privately-held designer and retailer of women’s apparel with equity sponsor Castanea Partners, and he previously served on the Board of Directors of Special Metals Corporation, a $1 billion nickel alloy producer, where he also chaired the Audit Committee. He also served on the Board and Audit Committee of Magnatrax Corporation, a $500 million manufacturer of metal buildings. He also served as Chair of the Board of Trustees of the National Philanthropic Trust, then the largest independent provider of donor advised funds. Mr. Brownstein previously served on the boards of a regional bank, a retail department store, and nonprofit Boards including Chair of a United Way agency.

Mr. Brownstein is a Certified Turnaround Professional (CTP). He served on the International Board of Directors of the Turnaround Management Association (TMA), its Executive Committee, and chaired its Audit Committee, and received TMA’s “Outstanding Individ- ual Contribution”. He served on the Board of the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI), co-chaired its Complex Financial Restructuring Program and its Mid Atlantic Bankruptcy Workshop for several years, and is a Coordinating Editor of ABI Journal. He served on the Governing Board of Secured Finance Network Association (formerly CFA) Education Foundation. Mr. Brownstein is a frequent speaker at professional and educational programs, including at Harvard Business School, Wharton, NYU, Villanova Law School, ABI, ABA, the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) and TMA. He has published over 120 articles, textbook chapters and e-books, including ABI’s Problems in the Code, has served on the Editorial Board of The Journal of Corporate Renewal, and chairs the Editorial Advisory Board of abfJournal.

Howard Brownstein is a graduate of Harvard Law and Business Schools, and of the University of Pennsylvania, where he obtained B.S. and B.A. degrees from the Wharton School and the College of Arts and Sciences. Mr. Brownstein is admitted to the bars of Pennsylva- nia, Massachusetts and Florida, but does not actively practice law. He also served in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, attaining the rank of First Lieutenant in the Medical Service Corps. He is reasonably fluent in Spanish, and also speaks some French and Japanese.

Sheila Ronning

CEO & Founder, Women in the Boardroom

Sheila Ronning is recognized for her dynamic leadership and relentless pursuit of excellence. With over three decades of experience, she has left an indelible mark as a retail executive turned entrepreneurial visionary.

In 1996, Sheila blazed a trail by founding a marketing and PR agency, serving as a beacon for small business owners seeking to amplify their voices in a crowded marketplace. Recognizing a crucial gap in the industry, she pioneered a series of networking events, providing a platform for hundreds of businesses to showcase their offerings and connect with their target audience. This initiative, spanning a decade, catalyzed unprecedented growth and collaboration within the entrepreneurial community.

In 2002, Sheila further cemented her legacy by launching an event dedicated to enabling executive women to secure seats on corporate boards. What began as a singular initiative blossomed into a 15-city tour, drawing thousands of attendees eager to learn. Leveraging her invaluable experience and expertise, she revolutionized the event into a membership platform, offering personalized guidance to aspiring leaders navigating the path to boardroom success.

As the driving force behind Women in the Boardroom™, Sheila has emerged as a visionary catalyst for change, spearheading initiatives that go beyond industries and borders. Her unparalleled dedication and transparent approach have earned her a reputation for success, with a track record of facilitating over 3,000 connections between talented professionals and prestigious boardrooms worldwide.

A globally sought-after speaker and recognized authority, Sheila’s influence extends far beyond boardrooms and conference halls. She has graced stages at prestigious institutions such as Harvard, NYU, Barnard College, and Stanford University’s Distinguished Career Institute, captivating audiences with her unparalleled insights and infectious passion. Additionally, she has been invited to share her expertise at renowned organizations including KPMG, Kirkland Ellis, Aon, NewsCorp, L’Oreal, and Thomas Reuters, as well as esteemed platforms like the United Nations, the SEC, NACD and ACG.

Sheila’s media coverage includes features in top-tier publications such as Forbes, The Washington Post, FOX News Network, and The Wall Street Journal. Her unwavering commitment to advancing gender diversity and inclusive leadership has earned her accolades and admiration from peers and professionals alike.

In her relentless pursuit of excellence, Sheila Ronning continues to inspire individuals around the globe and encourages women to “Show Up, Stand Up and Speak Up”



Alisa C. Norris

Independent Director | Chief Marketing and Communications Officer | Growth Leader | Culture Champion 

Alisa C. Norris is an Independent Director and Committee Chair with deep experience redesigning business models to drive significant top- and bottom-line growth within the US and globally. In her diverse career, she has led multiple first-ever transformations of business strategy, organizational structure, and operations as companies scaled from start-up to maturity, and pivoted from legacy to digital-first models. Her unique combination of Chief Marketing Officer and Chief People Officer roles enables the integration and elevation of the customer and employee experience. Alisa is an influential agent of change who is a passionate champion of diversity, equity and inclusion as the accelerant of high-performance. 

Alisa is a Director for Standard Motor Products (NYSE: SMP), a leading manufacturer in the automotive aftermarket industry. She is the Chair of the Compensation and Management Development Committee and serves on all of the other board committees. Alisa is also an Independent Director for Vitamix and is a member of the board’s Audit, Finance and Risk Committee and the Governance Committee. 

As a first generation American, Alisa has long been committed to volunteer service. She serves as a Trustee at Bloomfield College, New Jersey’s only private, Predominantly Black Institution, Hispanic Serving Institution, and Minority Serving Institution. She is passionate about the College’s vital mission — creating educational pathways that are often not otherwise available for minority and low-income students.



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