Governance Leaders Donna F. Zarcone and Thomas A. Stith III Elected to NACD Corporate Directors Institute’s Board of Directors

WASHINGTON, DC (March 5, 2024) – The NACD Corporate Directors Institute^® (CDI), the independent sister organization to the National Association of Corporate Directors^® (NACD), today announced that Donna F. Zarcone and Thomas A. Stith III have been elected to its board of directors.

CDI confers the NACD Directorship Certification^® credential, the premier directorship designation, to those who meet its requirements. The more than 1,600 Certified Directors (with thousands more preparing to become certified) who hold the NACD.DC^™ designation have demonstrated their commitment to board service, which is grounded in core board governance standards and excellence in the boardroom. These certified directors serve as advocates for continuous improvement, learning, and growth for the director community.

Donna F. Zarcone, NACD.DC, is an experienced CEO and board director who currently serves on four corporate boards: CDW Corporation, Cigna Group, Duchossois Capital Management, and Quinnox. She previously served on the board of The Jones Group. She also serves as vice chair on the National Board of the Smithsonian Institution and as director on the advisory board of the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Chicago. She recently retired as president and CEO of the Economic Club of Chicago and previously served as president of Harley-Davidson Financial Services Inc. and as board chair for Eaglemark Savings Bank, which is a subsidiary of Harley-Davidson Inc.

Thomas A. Stith III, NACD.DC, is CEO of The Michael Thomas Group, a firm he co-founded that is focused on consulting and advising clients seeking business development opportunities in the public and private sectors. Stith has been a director with Old Dominion Freight Line since 2021. He serves as a Professor of Practice at the Kenan-Flagler Business School, UNC Chapel Hill, and as a senior fellow for the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise. He served as president of the North Carolina Community College System, as chief administrative officer of the system and as district director of the US Small Business Administration. “Donna and Thomas are outstanding directors with deep governance, public policy, and leadership experience who will add significant value to the growing NACD certification program,” said Peter Gleason, NACD president and CEO. “Thanks to the dedication of the CDI Board, NACD is setting the standard of what it means to be a well-educated director. The NADC.DC designation after directors’ names sends an important signal of their commitment to the governance profession and expertise in good governance practices.”

To help NACD meet the growing demand for the NACD.DC credential, the association recently hired Reno Deschaine as senior director, Credentialing. Deschaine joined NACD from IAAPA, where he was senior vice-president of global education and foundation. Previously he held the role of vice president, Global Professional Certifications for The Institute of Internal Auditors. Learn more about the NACD Directorship Certification program, including eligibility, pricing, exam details, and ongoing recertification requirements, here.

Media Contact 
Shannon Bernauer 
sbernauer@nacdonline.org 
571-367-3688