Our Team

Management Team

• 
  Katherine Davis
  Chief Operating Officer
  

  Katherine B. (Katy) Davis is NACD's chief operating officer. As COO, Davis is responsible for Administration, Data Operations, Finance, IT, Human Resources, and Membership. Since joining NACD in 2006, she has helped drive its 120 percent growth in membership. She has created programs which are now strongly established as keys to NACD's success, including Board Recruitment Services, a dedicated team of Membership Advisors, and the chapters' Regional Director program. Additionally, she led the start up of critical departments for Central Operations, Enterprise Sales, Accounting, and Human Resources. Prior to joining NACD, Davis spent eight years at the Young Entrepreneurs' Organization (now EO), where she was VP, global member services. She began her career with the Truck Renting and Leasing Association (TRALA) after she graduated from James Madison University in 1992.

• 
  Erin Essenmacher
  Chief Programming Officer
  

  Erin Essenmacher serves as the chief programming officer for the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD), responsible for the content curation, strategy, and execution of more than 60 virtual and brick-and-mortar education programs and events each year. Essenmacher is also an award-winning writer, director, and producer with nearly 20 years of experience in media production. She has written, directed, and produced films for PBS, the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, the History Channel, and Court TV, and she produced and co-wrote the critically acclaimed independent documentary, MINE. Essenmacher currently serves on the board of EILEEN FISHER, Inc.

• 
  Peter Gleason
  Chief Executive Officer
  

  Peter Gleason is the President and CEO of the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD). Gleason is a recognized expert on board leadership and corporate governance issues. He serves as a member of NACD's national faculty, is regularly quoted in the national media, and is a frequent presenter on the subjects of corporate governance, executive and director compensation, risk, strategic planning, and board/shareowner relations. He has served as a commissioner on every NACD Blue Ribbon Commission report issued over the past 16 years, including the most recent releases on The Strategic Asset Board, Long Term Value Creation, Strategy Development, Talent Development, and Board Diversity. Peter currently serves on the board of NACD and on the advisory board of Nura Health, Inc., a development-stage health-care company. Gleason is also a director of the NACD Capital Area Chapter, Deputy Chair of Global Network of Director Institutes, and is a NACD Board Leadership Fellow. He is the former chair of the International Professional Practices Framework Oversight Council of the Institute of Internal Auditors and was formerly a director of The Patriot Fund.

  Before joining NACD, Gleason was a management consultant with both Ernst & Young and Pritchett & Associates. In addition, he served as Vice President and Director of U.S. Research for Institutional Shareholder Services.

  Gleason is a graduate of Dartmouth College and Virginia Tech, from where he has a MBA with concentrations in both Finance and Marketing.

• 
  Henry Stoever
  Chief Marketing Officer
  

  Henry Stoever is NACD's chief marketing officer, leading NACD's marketing, partner relations, and board-development sales teams. His previous experience includes roles with Kraft Foods, Nextel Communications, LexisNexis, the CoStar Group, and StudentLoans.com. Stoever holds an MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg Graduate School of Management and a BS in economics from the U.S. Naval Academy. He is a director of Boulder Crest Retreat for Wounded Warriors and a trustee on the U.S. Naval Academy Foundation's Athletic and Scholarship Program board. He is an NACD Board Leadership Fellow.

• 
  Steven Walker
  General Counsel
  

  Steven R. Walker serves as managing director and general counsel. He leads the Board Advisory Services faculty and oversees Board Recruitment Services and the NACD chapter system. Walker has served as general counsel and/or senior executive for a wide range of public and private entities. He has also served as an attorney advisor for the SEC and as senior enforcement counsel at the Florida Division of Banking, Finance, Securities and Investor Protection. Walker holds BS and JD degrees from Florida State University. He is a director of Objective Interface Systems and ContractRoom. Walker is an NACD Board Leadership Fellow.

Management Team

• 
  Matthew Barone
  Director, Business Development
  

  Matt Barone is NACD's director of business development and responsible for growing NACD's membership base. His team educates nonmembers on the benefits of membership with NACD while also introducing them to NACD's Education and Advisory Service offerings. He has 15 years of experience working with C-suite executives and 8 years of experience managing successful front-line sales teams. Prior to NACD, he worked at CEB, Water Street Partners, and SunTrust Bank.

• 
  Robyn Bew
  Director, Strategic Content Development
  

  Robyn Bew is director of strategic content development. Bew focuses on driving innovation in NACD's thought leadership, including Blue Ribbon Commission reports and other research workstreams. She leads NACD's Advisory Councils and other multistakeholder dialogues on governance topics, and contributes to NACD educational programming. Bew was previously a principal at Tapestry Networks, where she worked with large-cap, public-company directors. Her media appearances include CFO Magazine, Agenda Week, and Directors and Boards.

• 
  Chris Clark
  Director, Partner Relations
  

  Christopher Y. Clark is NACD's director of partner relations and publisher of NACD Directorship magazine and Directorship.com. Previously, Clark held a number of roles at Forbes Inc., including vice president of sales and vice president and general manager of the Forbes Management Conference Group. He is a member of the Broadridge Virtual Shareholder Meeting Best Practices Working Group and a contributing member of NACD's flag and general officer advisory council.

• 
  Kristen Conley
  Director, Marketing
  

  Kristen Conley is NACD's director of marketing. She is responsible for the marketing communication efforts supporting all business units, including NACD's membership retention, publications and research, and educational programming. Conley's team also oversees NACD's chapter-system marketing, social media, public relations activities, and overall brand awareness. Previously, Conley served in a number of other roles at NACD, including as marketing manager and as senior manager.

• 
  Nathan Hodge
  Director, Information Technology
  

  Nate Hodge is NACD's director of information technology. In this role, he is responsible for core system operations, network and data security, and business-IT strategy and alignment. Prior to joining NACD, he aided financial services and federal-sector clients at Accenture, focusing on IT strategy and operations.

• 
  Stephanie Mullette
  Director, Corporate Solutions
  

  Stephanie Mullette is NACD's director of corporate solutions. She has more than 10 years of experience working with general counsel and other C-level executives, shareholders, and boards of directors on corporate governance best practices, public company preparedness and compliance, and shareholder activism, including roles at CEB, Institutional Shareholder Services, and White & Case LLP. Mullette holds a BA from Cornell University and a JD from Brooklyn Law School.

• 
  Alex Obuchowski
  Controller
  

  Alex Obuchowski is the controller for NACD. His duties include overseeing all financial aspects of the organization, including budgeting and financial statements. Obuchowski previously worked for the Renewable Fuels Association, Veris Consulting Inc., and Johnson Lambert LLP. He graduated from the College of William & Mary with a bachelor of science degree in accounting and is a member of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE).

• 
  Susan Paley
  Chapter Advancement Officer
  

  Susan Paley is NACD's chapter advancement officer. She and her team partner with NACD chapter boards to deliver world-class programs to directors in more than 35 cities. Prior to joining NACD, Susan was a television producer and script writer, working for the BBC, Discovery Networks Europe, C-SPAN and the World Bank. Susan holds a B.A. from Tufts University in international relations and communications.

• 
  Patricia Smith
  Art Director
  

  Patricia Smith is art director at NACD. She is responsible for developing creative guidelines and directing creative work for NACD's publications, its website, and NACD Directorship magazine. Smith has 25 years of experience in publication design and has held creative roles at PC Magazine, Chief Executive magazine, and with the Insurance Information Institute. She holds a bachelor of arts degree in studio art and design from William Paterson University.

• 
  Friso van der Oord
  Director, Research
  

  Friso van der Oord is director of research, responsible for all NACD content development. He is an experienced governance advisor and business line manager, who has worked over the last 15 years with Fortune 500 and global executives on major risk, compliance, and integrity challenges, including serving in leadership roles at CEB and LRN. He holds an MA in international relations from Johns Hopkins University's SAIS Program.

• 
  Donna Vaught
  Director, Meetings
  

  Donna Vaught is NACD's director of meetings and events; she provides strategic direction in the planning and execution of all meetings and events. Vaught has more than 20 years of experience in the convention and event-management industry. Previously, she worked at the International Society for Performance Improvement, the International Downtown Association, and the Federal Reserve Bank. Vaught holds a bachelor's degree in business, and has attained the CMP certification.

• 
  Judy Warner
  Editor in Chief
  

  Judy Warner is editor in chief of NACD Directorship magazine. A journalist for more than 30 years, Warner joined the Directorship team as managing editor from ComAve LLC, an independent content-management firm which she cofounded and operated. Previously, Warner was New England bureau chief of Adweek magazine. She began her journalism career with the Boston Globe as an editorial assistant. Warner holds a BS in journalism from Northeastern University.