WomenCorporateDirectors Announces 5 New Board Members

NEW YORK, Oct. 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- WomenCorporateDirectors Education and Development Foundation, Inc. (WCD), the only global membership organization and community of women corporate directors, is expanding its board, adding more membership representation to its governing body. The new board members – Karen Mitchell Curran, Lisa Daniels, Deborah Ellinger, Tandra Jackson and Mary Beth Vitale – offer diverse, complementary strengths to support the organization in its next phase of strategic growth.

Camille Asaro, Partner, KPMG LLP, who serves as the global lead audit partner for private investment companies with assets under management up to $160 billion, will be stepping into the role of Lead Director and Board Chair, taking over from Kapila Anand, who has held the role since 2015. Ms. Anand announced her transition at this year's virtual Visionary Awards ceremony, where she was honored by WCD with its Trailblazer award, along with Nancy Calderon, who is also completing her term as a WCD board member.

"It has been such a pleasure to have served on the WCD board and to have been a part of its growth and evolution over these five years," says Anand. "We are firmly committed to growing the ranks of women board directors in the U.S. and around the world, and the new board will advance this WCD mission."

Ms. Calderon, who retired from KPMG last year, was instrumental in securing KPMG as the Global Lead Sponsor and has played a critical role at WCD since its early days, participating in more than 70 chapter launches. "KPMG understands the value of diversity and inclusion as a key business imperative, and I am proud that the firm has supported the mission of WCD for more than 18 years," says Calderon.

"I am impressed with what WCD accomplished through its advocacy this past year, and how many women it supported as members joined new boards," says Asaro, adding that WCD did an incredible job keeping the membership connected and informed during massive disruption and upheaval caused by the global health crisis. "I'm honored to take on the role of Lead Director and Board Chair and I look forward to helping WCD continue to advance change in the boardroom and give directors what they need to succeed, whatever the circumstances."

In addition to Asaro, Susan C. Keating, CEO of WCD, continues to serve on the board. The new board members include:

• Karen Mitchell Curran. Curran is the managing partner of the Fort Lauderdale office of KPMG LLP and serves clients primarily in healthcare and government-related industries. She has served as co-chair of the South Florida chapter of WCD.

• Lisa Daniels. Daniels is the managing partner of KPMG's San Francisco office and oversees KPMG's Bay Area and Northwest market. Prior to her current role, Lisa served as the managing partner of KPMG's Silicon Valley and Phoenix offices. She serves as co-chair of the Bay Area chapter of WCD.

• Deborah Ellinger. Recognized in 2019 by the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) as a top 100 director, Ellinger has 15 years of public and private board experience, and is a director of iRobot, maker of the Roomba vacuum cleaner, and Covetrus, a $4Bn tech-enabled veterinarian services and supply company. She is also a Senior Advisor at Boston Consulting Group.

• Tandra Jackson. Jackson is the Vice Chair of Growth and Strategy at KPMG LLP. She has over 27 years of professional experience across multiple industries, including energy and chemicals, industrial manufacturing, and healthcare. Jackson also serves on the KPMG Foundation Board, the KPMG African Ancestry BRG Leadership Team and the U.S. Management Committee.

• Mary Beth Vitale. Vitale was named one of the most influential leaders in the boardroom in 2020 by the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD). She is the Independent Chair of the Board and Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee of Pareteum, Inc, a global cloud-based software platform. She also serves on the boards of Luna Innovations, Inc., a provider of optical technology, and GEHA, Inc., an association providing insurance products to Federal employees, retirees, and their families. She is the Co-founder and Principal of Pellera, LLC.

"In 20 years, WomenCorporateDirectors has grown to encompass 76 chapters in over 40 countries," says CEO Keating. "One of our top priorities as a board is to encourage gender parity in corporate governance around the world through a community of directors who share best practices, board insights, and new opportunities for leadership."

For more information, please contact Davia Temin, Suzanne Oaks Brownstein or Trang Mar of Temin and Company at news@teminandco.com or 212.588.8788.

About WomenCorporateDirectors Education and Development Foundation, Inc. 

The WomenCorporateDirectors Education and Development Foundation, Inc. (WCD) is the only global membership organization and community of women corporate directors. A 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, WCD has 76 chapters around the world. The aggregate market capitalization of public companies on whose boards WCD members serve is over $8 trillion. In addition, WCD members serve on numerous boards of large private and family-run companies globally. For more information visit www.womencorporatedirectors.org or follow us on Twitter @WomenCorpDirs, #WCDboards, #WCDGlobal2020, #WCDVisionary2020.

About WCD's Global Lead Sponsor

KPMG is a global organization of independent professional services firms providing audit, tax and advisory services. We operate in 147 countries and territories and have more than 219,000 people working in member firms around the world. KPMG LLP is a member firm of the KPMG global organization of independent member firms associated with KPMG International Limited, a private English company limited by guarantee. Learn more at www.kpmg.com/us.

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SOURCE WomenCorporateDirectors Education and Development Foundation, Inc.