Year-end Letter
Dear Advocates, Members, Next OnBoard Members, and Sponsors:
I am beginning 2025 filled with optimism – because of you. With your participation and support, the number and percentage of women directors have increased. Thank you. If you have not already done so, I invite you to read the 32nd edition of our Annual Study, which depicts our progress on corporate boards in Georgia and OnBoard’s efforts to champion women’s advancement in corporate leadership. Please share the Study with colleagues and anyone who may have potential board opportunities.
Along with my optimism comes the reality that it is not always easy to find your first board role. We must persevere and encourage boards to recognize the value in candidates beyond traditional CEO or CFO titles. As one of our Advisory Board members aptly shared at their meeting, “People take their titles off when they enter the boardroom.”
One of the key updates from our 2024 goals is the increase in board opportunities, despite the challenges posed by a declining number of public companies. As noted in our Study, in 2000, the number of Georgia public companies peaked at 239; today, the number is 115. And yet, in 2024, OnBoard increased the number of board opportunities distributed to our members to 31. If you have questions about your candidacy or the process, I encourage you to contact me—helping members secure board roles remains my top priority.
Enormous thanks to The John and Rosemary Brown Family Foundation for funding our Board Candidate Portal. The Portal is one more vehicle to connect women with corporate board positions. We are delighted to launch a password-protected, searchable, online database of qualified women candidates vetted by OnBoard. Construction of the database is complete, and it is currently being populated with candidates. Board influencers within the OnBoard network (CEOs, corporate board members, executive recruiters, OnBoard Board and Advisory Board members, and OnBoard Sponsors) will soon have access to the database of board-ready candidates. If you have any questions about the portal, please get in touch with Sloan Kennedy Smith or me.
We welcomed more members than ever in 2024! Among our initiatives were:
- Hosting monthly staff-facilitated orientation sessions via Zoom to help members understand their benefits and connect with the OnBoard community. These sessions are open to all members and are held on the first Wednesday of each month at 9:00 AM EST. One hundred forty-five members participated in 2024!
- Expanding our mentoring program to include mentors for general members. If you are an Advocate interested in mentoring, we’d love to hear from you—your expertise is in high demand!
- To foster our OnBoard community, we launched the Summer Supper Series inspired by the example set by Next OnBoard, OnBoard hikes, and more.
Looking ahead, you can find the 2025 OnBoard events calendar in the Member Portal or on the Upcoming Events tab.
Did you know we have many published authors among our members? If you’re an author and would like your book featured on our website, please send your details to Kyler Johnson at kylerjohnson@onboardinc.org.
We continue to strengthen our succession planning thanks to the Nominating and Governance Committee and Board. To that end, we are proud to announce that Sloane Drake has accepted the role of Vice-Chair of OnBoard, working alongside Board Chair Rachel Tullos. Additionally, we are pleased to share that three new directors are joining us this month:
- Burt Fealing, Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and Chief Compliance Officer, Southwire Company
- Tiffany Mallory Moore, Associate General Counsel, Mercedes-Benz USA
- Caroline Reddington, Executive Vice President, Treasury Management Executive, Cadence Bank
My final piece of happy news: I am delighted to share that Sloan Kennedy Smith has joined OnBoard as Chief Development Officer. Sloan is an accomplished executive with a proven track record in strategic partnerships, organizational growth, and community and social impact. Many of you already know Sloan, and for those who don’t, I know you will enjoy getting to know her.
Special thanks to our Board, Advisory Board, and the incredible OnBoard team – Sheree Slaughter, Naomi Green, Kyler Johnson, and Magenta (Grace Nelson). Your dedication and hard work make it all happen. We couldn’t do it without you!
Wishing you all a joyful and fulfilling 2025,
Lisa Robinson
CEO